TRIPOLI, Libya (PANA)�Former South African President Nelson
Mandela, in a May 29 evening telephone conversation with the leader of
the Libyan revolution, Colonel Muammar Gadhafi, reiterated his
commitment in the Lockerbie case and his determination to pursue
consultations with all the parties concerned.
His telephone conversation with Colonel Gadhafi came at a time when
Libya denied international media reports that Tripoli had proposed a
conditional compensation of $2.7 billion to the families of victims of
the 1988 crash of an American airline flight in Lockerbie, Scotland,
U.S. officials said.
Mr. Mandela, in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian authorities,
played a key role in breaking the deadlock in the Lockerbie case in
March 1999 while he was still South African president.
In an initial reaction to the Camp Zeist verdict, he criticized the
U.S. and Britain for refusing to lift the sanctions against Tripoli.
Mr. Mandela said that the two countries did not keep their word after
the extradition of the two Libyans alleged to have been involved in the
said case.
On Jan. 30, 2001, the Camp Zeist court sitting in the Netherlands
convicted one of the two Libyan suspects, Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi, for
life and acquitted his compatriot, Al-Amine Khalifa Fhima.
"We expect the West to set a good example in terms of moral
responsibility" and not to change the rules of the game, Mr. Mandela
said. "When agreements are not respected, it brings confusion in
international relations."
The Pan Am flight crashed in 1988, killing 270 people, including all
259 aboard and 11 others on the ground.
Media reports May 29 quoted American officials and a lawyer for the
victims� families saying Libya offered the compensation on condition
that sanctions imposed on it by the United Nations and the United States
would be lifted. Tripoli has been under international sanctions since
the early 1990s, including an arms embargo and a ban on flights to and
from its territory.
The U.S. sanctions cover aviation, trade and weapons bans, while
Washington lists Libya as one of the state sponsors of terrorism.
The New York-based law firm Kreindler and Kreindler said Libya would
release $10 million to each of the victims� families, as sanctions
imposed after the bombing were lifted.
But Libya�s state-run JANA news agency reported a government
spokesman saying, "Libya is not part of this issue. ... As far as the
Libyan state is concerned, it has not been accused in this issue ... and
it has nothing to do with any accords."
JANA reported that Libya never received official notice of an
agreement but was aware that Libyan businessmen and others had met with
the families of the bombing victims.
The lawyers said the announcement was legitimate and some observers
speculated that the Libyan denial came in response to the announcement
of the agreement. There was also speculation that the Libyans may have
been testing the waters by not making an official offer, and that the
lawyers for family members wanted to create more pressure by going
public.
Once any agreement is reached, Congress and the White House would
have to be convinced to support it and agree to lift sanctions. Winning
such support would be extremely difficult, observers note.
(Final Call staff contributed to this report.)
PHOTO CAPTION
A Dec. 22, 1988 photo shows cockpit of 747
Pan Am Boeing plane that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all
259 on board and 11 on the ground. Two Libyans suspected of the bombing
were tried in the Netherlands by Scottish judges. One was convicted, the
other was acquitted of the charges.
Photo: AFP
